The WNBA’s L.A. Sparks hired former Laker Derek Fisher as head coach, the team announced Wednesday. Fisher will be introduced at a news conference on Friday.

“I’m excited to be the new head coach of the L.A. Sparks,” Fisher said in a news release from the team. “There is no finer organization in the WNBA and I can’t wait to work with our ownership group, front office, talented players and staff to cement a culture of sustained excellence, which is what LA basketball fans demand – and deserve.”

Fisher played in the NBA for 18 seasons, the majority of which was with the Lakers, whom he helped win five NBA titles. He holds the NBA record for playoff game appearances (259).

The former point guard also coached the New York Knicks from 2014-16, when they went a combined 40-96. He was 17-65 in 2014-15 as a rookie head coach before being fired the next season when the Knicks were 23-31.

The Los Angeles Sparks are excited to announce the hiring of five-time NBA Champion Derek Fisher as Head Coach.

“I am thrilled to name Derek Fisher our next head coach,” Sparks Executive Vice President and General Manager Penny Toler said in the release. “Derek is a champion and proven leader on and off the court. With his wealth of experience as a former player and head coach, I can’t think of a better steward for our basketball team moving forward.”

Fisher inherits a Sparks team that includes 2008 and 2013 WNBA MVP Candace Parker as well as 2016 WNBA MVP Nneka Ogwumike, who currently is president of the Women’s National Basketball Players Association. Fisher served as president of the National Basketball Players Association.

“Derek is a great basketball mind who brings a ton of high-level experience to our team,” Parker said in a statement. “I look forward to working with someone with championship pedigree and who has a track record of strong leadership. Derek has been a strong supporter of women’s basketball for quite some time, so it’s nice to officially welcome him.”

Fisher will be the third former Laker to coach the Sparks, following Michael Cooper (who won consecutive WNBA Championships in 2001 and 2002 with the team) and Orlando Woolridge. Joe Bryant – Kobe’s father – also coached the Sparks from 2006–2007 and again in 2011.

Mirjam Swanson covers the Clippers, the NBA and the LA Sparks for the Southern California News Group. Previously, she wrote about LeBron James and the rest of the Dream Team at the 2004 Olympics (where, yes, they took bronze), Tiger Woods winning the U.S. Open on one leg, and had a tour reporting on city government, education and the occasional bear in a backyard.

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